## Appendix 2: Responses to Consultation (Neighbourhood Area)

### 1.1 Summary of responses - Neighbourhood Area

| Respondent ID | Organisation | Comment | Officer Response | |---------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB/01 | The University of Northampton | Spring Boroughs is geographically well defined by Grafton Street, Horse Market, Marefair and St Andrews Road. Understand and support the need to add in the medieval historic area between St. Peters Way and Freeschool Lane and the café and Lorry Park at Super Sausage. Seeks the inclusion of the Sol Central leisure complex as part of the Neighbourhood Area because it is source of local employment and as a key element of the environment of Spring Boroughs. | Noted. | | | | | | | SB/02 | Natural England | No objections to the designation of a Neighbourhood Area. No designated sites in close standing advice note with regard to consultee status. This information will be passed to the forum at the appropriate time. | Standing advice note with regard to consultee status. This information will be passed to the forum at the appropriate time. | proximity of the area, but all plans should consider potential impacts on such sites.

| SB/03 | Friends of Northampton Castle | Strongly support the creating of a neighbourhood planning area that includes the significant areas of medieval and earlier Saxon archaeological evidence. Boundary ensures that the Castle remains will be part of the overall plan for the area. | Comments noted. | | SB/04 | Spring Lane Children’s Centre | Support the request to designate the area. Seek extension to the boundary to include Sol Central to enable the inclusion of a business community that has a significant impact on the residential area of Spring Boroughs. | Noted. The request to include Sol Central is noted, and an option for its inclusion is detailed within the Cabinet Paper for consideration. | | SB/05 | Northampton Borough Council (Regeneration and Enterprise) | Support the approach for Neighbourhood Planning. Boundary is logical and sits | Noted. | | SB/06 | The Environment Agency | No Comments on the designation of the area. | N/A | |-------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------|-----| | SB/07 | Northamptonshire County Council Archaeology | Seeks inclusion of the area to the south and east of Spring Boroughs to Horseshoe street to allow for the identification of the historic potential and character of the area. This would lead to a more proactive approach including appropriate opportunities for enhancement of the character either as an indirect result of development or as a purely community led approach. | The area bounded by Freeschool Street/Horseshoe street is identified as a separate policy area within the CAAP. At this stage, it is not considered desirable to extend the area across into a neighbouring CAAP policy area as this may dilute focus away from the initial reasons for producing a Neighbourhood Plan to guide the regeneration of Spring Boroughs. However, we recognise the importance of the archaeological potential across the whole of the area and, as the community develop the plan, we will seek to ensure that the context of the area is reflected in any emerging policy that relates to the archaeology or historical interest, particularly in relation to St Peters Church and the area to the south. NCC Archaeology will be a key consultee during this process. |

### 1.2 Summary of Responses - Other matters:

| Respondent ID | Organisation | Comment | Officer Response | |---------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB/01 | The University of Northampton | Neighbourhood forum should embody a number of principles including local residents, equality, wider engagement, long-term sustainable change and partnership with key service providers. | Northampton BC believe that the inclusion of local residents in the forum is paramount to its success and agrees with the other principles which it will try to ensure are embedded within the final constitution of the forum through its powers of designation. The success of the forum will be reliant on the initial commitment and enthusiasm of residents within the area. | | SB/02 | Natural England | Various advice in preparing a plan relating to wildlife and nature conservation etc | The links and guidance are helpful and will be passed to the Neighbourhood Forum as a valuable tool in gathering together evidence for the plan. | | SB/03 | Friends of Northampton Castle | FoNC looks forward to being part of the consultation and future work on the plan. Use St Peters and the URC church to advertise and exhibit any plan for the area as they are close than the Guildhall, Central and St James Library. | The contact details will be passed to the forum to ensure that FoNC continue to be consulted as part of the planning process for the area. As a community organisation operating within/ in close proximity of the area, FoNC are considered a statutory consultee for those regulations that Northampton Borough must fulfil. These facilities will be utilised as locations for formal consultations as part of the regulations that the Borough Council must fulfil (forum and the submission plan) but must be in addition to the usual inspection locations of the libraries and the Guildhall to ensure consistency of approach with usual planning procedure. | | SB/04 | Spring Lane Children’s Centre | No additional comments | We will strongly support the use of local facilities by the Neighbourhood Forum (when constituted) for advertising their plans and other consultations. | |-------|-------------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB/05 | Northampton Borough Council (Regeneration and Enterprise) | Meetings of 21 people may be difficult to achieve. It is importance that the Governance/ management and engagement arrangements are clarified and agreed at the earliest opportunity and set these out now. Development proposals are being looked into for some of the land owned by NBC within the proposed area. | The Localism Act requires a minimum of 21 people to be members of a Forum, and this group can not be formally constituted until the area is designated. Work is presently being undertaken to try to identify the organisations that could help start the forum and assist in gathering momentum for the process. The bid to DCLG identified this as one of the key challenges for this particular plan. Noted. It will be important that Regeneration & Enterprise keep the community informed and properly engaged with their proposals and respect the Neighbourhood Planning process- including the community’s aspirations for particular sites and areas. Planning Policy will be happy to advise until such a time that the forum is properly constituted. | | SB/06 | The Environment Agency | The letter contains various advice and guidance with regard to the 5 key areas of Environment Agency responsibility. | The guidance provided is helpful and will be passed to the Neighbourhood Forum as a valuable tool in gathering together evidence for the plan. | This is particularly important in ensuring that any plan for the area is truly sustainable. The Environment Agency will be a key stakeholder, particularly in terms of water quality and resources as it is noted that there is a high potential to improve on the current drainage arrangements in this area.

| SB/07 | Northamptonshire County Council Archaeology | N/A | N/A |

### 1.3 Informal Requests for Information/ Additional comments

| Information Request | Private Individual | Notices don't tell you what a Neighbourhood Plan is and don't show the area. | |---------------------|--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Thinks that we should have had a plan already (before doing the CESP works) so that we could see how it all works. | | | | Isn't sure that the community should be doing the plan as it's the council's job! | | | | Noted- evaluation chapter questions appropriateness of notices and the additional information these give. If using in the future, a map will be included. | | | | The Neighbourhood Plan is a community led process under the regulations. The timescale for this plan is not the Borough Council, but that submitted with the council’s support to DCLG. In developing the forum, it is hoped that organisations working in the community will undertake consultation and explain the process. | | | | Noted- included within this report as feedback to DCLG. | | Information Request | Private Individual | Came in to ask about the Regeneration Plans. | | | | Explained Neighbourhood Area application and what it does and referred back to Castle Partnership meeting | | | | Apparent there is some confusion with regard to the ownership of the process. Will need to ensure that there is greater awareness raising in the area. | | | | Individual subsequently attended the event held by Planning Aid England and has offered to support advertisement of future events. | | Information Request | Private Individual | Concerned about what the letter was about as buying a flat. | | | | Explained process, why, | | | | Will need to ensure that there is greater awareness raising in the area- will produce publicity of FAQs for future Regulation 6 consultations. | | CAAP policy, gave her Jennie's phone number and encouraged her to be part of neighbourhood plan making. | | Much relieved to have talked it through |